


Happy Clear Day

by Rachello344



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Season 8 Episode 8, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff, Fortune Telling, Getting Together, M/M, Making Out, background canon compliant Allurance, carnival shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 19:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17007438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachello344/pseuds/Rachello344
Summary: Takes place during Season 8 Episode 8, "Clear Day."  Follows Keith and Shiro through the carnival as they stick together instead of separating at the beginning of the episode.  Basically, how I wish the episode had gone.





	Happy Clear Day

**Author's Note:**

> For all my friends disappointed by the season, I hope this puts a bit of a balm on the wound. <3

Keith watched the other paladins and Coran leave with something like bemusement.  “That was fast,” he muttered.  Shiro chuckled under his breath.

“Guess it’s just the two of us now.”  Shiro’s smile was radiant.  “Come on, Keith.  Think of it like shore leave.  Let’s have some fun before we have to get back to work.”

Keith faltered.  Just the two of them?  Everything had been so busy, they hadn’t really had much time to themselves lately.  They still hadn’t really… talked about anything.  Keith knew it was important, but there was a war on.  “I don’t know,” he hedged.  “We’re supposed to be on guard.”

Shiro’s hand landed firm and heavy on his shoulder.  His eyes shone with mirth.  “Captain’s orders, then.  Come on, Keith, there’s no one I’d rather be at this thing with than you.”

Keith bit his lip.  _Unfair_.  “Well, if it’s an order, _Captain_ , I guess I’d better stick with you.”  He let himself smirk, teasing.

Shiro laughed, his cheeks going a little red.  “It’s kind of weird hearing you call me that.”

Keith rolled his eyes.  “It is your title, Shiro.  Now, come on, you wanted us to do whatever this is?  Then let’s get going.”

Shiro shifted his arm so it rested across his shoulders, friendly and grounding.  Keith let himself lean into the weight.  “Why don’t we just walk for now?  I feel like I haven’t seen you in weeks.”

“How have you been doing?”  Keith winced.  That was a lame question.  “I mean, I know I see you for meals, but…”

“It’s not the same,” Shiro agreed, voice low.  Intimate.  “I’ve been doing all right,” he continued at a more normal pitch.  “Being a captain requires a lot more paperwork than they tell you about when you get a battlefield promotion.”  His brow furrowed.  Keith smiled up at him.

“It’s not all cannon firings and scrambling the MFEs, huh?”  Keith leaned back into his shoulder.  “I’ve probably had a slightly easier time, but it’s mostly briefings and reports on my end.  Helping my mom and Kolivan organize what’s left of the Blade, that sort of thing.”

They fell silent, the ambient noise of the carnival washing over them.  Keith glanced down a row of stalls, his eye catching on Pidge hitting a machine with a foam mallet.  Some of the MFEs and Axca were standing around a stall holding guns, apparently competing for something.

“Have you ever thought about what you want to do?” Shiro asked.  His voice was quiet enough that Keith almost couldn’t hear it over the noise around them.  He looked up, but Shiro kept his eyes forward.  “After everything, I mean.”

Keith gazed up at him.  “A little.  Not in much detail.  I’ve never been much for thinking of the future.  There’s always too much going on in the now.”  He hesitated, looking away.  “And I don’t really want to get my hopes up.”

Shiro’s hand squeezed his shoulder.  “I hear you.”  He sighed.  “Sometimes I wish we could just leave all this to other people to take care of.  Run away from it all.”

Keith blushed.  “What would you want to do?  After everything?”

“Settle down,” he answered easily.  “I’ve been thinking about how nice it must be to have a big family.  And I have Team Voltron, I have you, but sometimes I think…”  His grip tightened on Keith’s shoulder.  “There are so many orphans in the world now.”

Keith wrapped an arm around Shiro’s back, giving him a squeeze.  “There are.  Would you want to start an orphanage or adopt?”

Shiro turned to shoot him a wry smile.  “That’s the question, isn’t it?  It won’t really matter unless I find a partner.  That’s not the kind of thing I could handle on my own.”

“If you’re looking for a volunteer,” Keith answered, unthinking.  Shiro’s expression turned to surprise.  “I mean, I know what not to do, right?  I grew up an orphan, even if that’s not technically true anymore.”

Before Shiro could reply, there was a loud kind of screaming coming from the end of the next street.  “Is that…?”

“Coran?”

They both stared at Coran, standing on a stage in front of what was probably a panel of judges.  They both glanced at each other, and burst into laughter.  Keith curled his fingers into Shiro’s side, clinging to him for support as he laughed helplessly.

When Keith finally managed to straighten up, Shiro was smiling gently down at him.

“What?” he asked, embarrassed.

“No, sorry, I was just thinking—it’s been such a long time since I heard you laugh like that.”  Shiro gazed down at him with such warmth that Keith felt himself leaning in, drawn in like a magnet.  Keith’s eyes dropped to Shiro’s lips, snapping back up to his eyes when he realized.  Shiro’s expression shifted to something unfamiliar, his eyes hooded and dark.

“Oh, guys—” Keith pulled back abruptly, cheeks flushed.  Lance was jogging up to them.  “I need some help.  I got this Blue Lion plush through… questionable means,” his eyes narrowed.  “But I was thinking, the more we can give Allura, the more appreciated and thought of she might feel?  Will you guys help me out?  I’m, uh, out of tokens already.”

“Have you spoken to Pidge and Hunk already?” Shiro asked.  His voice sounded strained.

“Yeah, Pidge is well on it, and Hunk is going to bring her some food that he thinks will taste okay even if it’s a little cold.”  Lance looked stressed, fidgeting from foot to foot.  “So will you help?”

Keith shrugged.  “We’ll see if we can find something she’d like, I guess.”

“Why don’t you help Hunk find food?” Shiro suggested.  “We’ll check out some of the game booths.”

“Oh, thanks,” Lance said with a wide grin.  “You guys are the best.  Catch you later,” he called, already jogging off in the direction of the food booths.

Keith watched him go.  He felt a little resentful, but tried to let it go.  Lance was an idiot, so it wasn’t his fault he’d broken whatever had been brewing between him and Shiro.  “I swear, you’d think he’d be more observant as a self-proclaimed sharpshooter,” Shiro muttered.

Keith let himself smile, leaning into Shiro’s side more firmly.  “Yeah, but then he wouldn’t be Lance.  And to be fair, Allura must be feeling badly if she’s skipping this.  She loves these kinds of things.”

Shiro laughed, turning them down one of the rows of stalls.  “Yeah, that’s true.  Come on, then, let’s find something she’ll like.”

They wandered the stalls, considering the prizes at each, comparing pros and cons as they went.  Shiro laughed when they got to the end of the row.  There was a lit up tower of sorts with a large button in front of it.  Someone swung a hammer down, and a ball shot up, not quite reaching the top.  “Oh man, I always loved these things.”

“Yeah?”  Keith considered it.  “Do you just hit the thing and get a prize?”

“Yeah, pretty much.  Wanna try it out?”  Shiro grinned boyishly down at him.

Keith shrugged, nodded.  “Why not?”

There was no line, so Keith stepped up to the barker, handing over a token.  The man showed his teeth.  “Welcome, welcome!  Step right up and test your strength!  Ring the bell, and win a prize!”

Keith accepted the mallet, curious.  “So, Shiro, I just… hit it?”

“Yeah, hard as you can.”

Keith looked at Shiro, the barker, the button.  Keith shrugged again and shifted his stance.  He swung down hard, hitting the button with as much force as he could muster.  The ball shot up, stopping just shy of the bell, before coming back down.

“Oh, so close, so close, since you got so close, you can choose from this bottom row of prizes,” the barker said, gesturing.  Keith glanced over the display.  There were several plushes, some jewelry, odds and ends, and—

“I’ll take this one,” Keith decided.  He picked up the small dancing flower with an equally small smile.  He hoped Allura liked it.

“Now, what about you, sir, gonna try to win your boyfriend a prize?”

Shiro blinked.  “Oh, we—”  He considered the prizes on the top level.  “Actually, yeah.”  He handed the man a token, and took the mallet from Keith with a wink.  “I wanted to play anyway, but whatever I win is yours.”

Keith took a step back to give Shiro room, and watched as his arms and shoulders flexed with his movement.  _If only the shirt wasn’t in the way,_ Keith thought, licking his lips.

A bell rang loudly.  Keith jolted, guilty.

Shiro, with the smuggest and most self-satisfied smile Keith had ever seen him wear, pointed out something on the top shelf with obvious relish.  The barker rolled his eyes, but handed him—the largest stuffed animal Keith had ever seen.  It was also clearly designed after the Black Lion.

Shiro presented it to Keith with a flourish.

“Shiro, what on earth do I need a stuffed animal for?”

Shiro pursed his lips.  “If you don’t want it—”

“That’s not what I said,” Keith cut in too quickly.  “You said it’s mine, so it’s mine.”  Keith tugged the toy out of his hands, squeezing it to his chest.  “It’s ridiculously big, and I have nowhere to put it, but you’re not allowed to take it back.”

Shiro laughed, steering him away from the stall with an arm around his shoulders once more.  “I’m glad you like it,” he said.  “Now, we’ve got a gift for Allura settled, is there anything else you want to do?”

Something about the flower being a joint gift from them made Keith’s chest feel fluttery and warm.  “Not really.  I guess we could go on a ride or something?”

“Fortunes told,” a woman called out.  “Future successes, future failures, future loves, and future heartbreaks!  All will be revealed!”

Shiro grinned down at him with something like glee.  “Do you want to?”

Keith rolled his eyes, fond.  “Come on, then.”

The woman was wearing a shawl and a lot of strange looking jewelry in colors Keith wasn’t used to seeing in what was obviously metal.  It all glittered strangely and tinkled as she moved.  The woman’s eyes moved between them and then narrowed.

“You first,” she told Keith.  Keith gaped, but at a slight nudge from Shiro, followed her into a small tent.  He dropped a token into the bowl on the table with the others.

The tent felt intimate and close, but not claustrophobic.  It was lit by crystals floating above their heads.  The woman sat down on the other side of the table, and gestured for Keith to do the same.

“We will use the bones for you, I think,” she said, assessing.  “Yes, as I thought, all Galra, even half, take the bones.”

Keith gaped.  “How…?”

“I am a psychic.  Of course I can see your lineage.  Is simple.”  She waved away his concerns.  “Now, to begin.  Consider a question as I cast.”  She pulled out a small bag and turned it over in her hands a few times, as if she were mixing something.

Keith tried to think of a question, but the first thing that came to his mind was embarrassing.  _Will Shiro ever feel the same?_   With little fanfare, and before Keith could come up with another question, the woman cast a handful of small bones onto the table between them.

“Curious,” she mused.  “Most soldiers worry about their own fate, but you…  You worry entirely for another.”  She touched a few of the bones, considering them each with a heavy expression.  “The answer you seek…”  She tilted her head.  “You need only act.  And no matter how dark things seem to be, things will work out in the end.  Remember that.  It may take time, but the universe will right itself.  Of that you have my word.”

Keith felt a little like the ground beneath him had slipped away between one breath and the next, like he was in zero gravity.  Need only act?  What did that mean?

“A warning,” the woman intoned, poking at the smallest bone on the table.  “Do not wait too long, or you’ll miss your chance.  You must act _soon_.”

Keith nodded, cheeks flushed.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Now go.  I must see to your _friend_.”  She shooed Keith out of the tent, and immediately tugged Shiro inside.

He didn’t know that he believed in fortune tellers, but…  He only needed to act and soon.  Did that mean that he and Shiro could really…?  Keith shook his head.  He felt a little guilty for not asking about their mission, about their search, but he had a feeling that she was answering that too.  The universe would right itself…

Shiro stumbled out of the tent, looking a little dizzy.  “She’s uh,” he tried.

“Really something,” Keith agreed.  “Walk?”

“Yeah.”  Shiro looped his arm back around Keith’s shoulders, and Keith leaned into him with a nearly inaudible sigh.  “How’d she tell your fortune?”

“Bones,” Keith said with a grimace.  “I asked a question in my head, and she read the answer.”

“She almost went with bones for me, but she decided on cards instead.”  Shiro seemed perplexed.  “Otherwise the method was the same.”

Keith bit his lip, thinking about what he’d asked.  He wondered what Shiro asked, but it felt intrusive to ask.  It probably wasn’t any of his business.

Neither of them said anything further.

Keith caught sight of a line for what looked like a ride just ahead of them.  “Wanna ride whatever that is?”

Shiro’s breath left him on a relieved sigh.  “Yeah, sounds good.”

When they got to the front of the line, two blob-like creatures who seemed to be literally joined at the hip greeted them brightly.  “Welcome, welcome,” one said.

“Such a lovely couple,” the other complimented.

“Wait,” Keith tried to say.

“Step right in,” the first continued, gesturing to the buggy pulling up alongside them.  “Keep inside the ride.”

“And don’t get too carried away,” the second said with a wink.

Shiro and Keith frowned at each other, but each handed over a token and took a seat on the ride.  Keith did his best to settle the giant plus over his and Shiro’s laps.  When the ride started up, the whole thing jostled, knocking Keith into Shiro’s side.  Keith winced, steadying himself.

When he looked up, Shiro was gazing down at him, his eyes hooded and intense.  A strong arm slipped around Keith’s back, supporting him and holding him against Shiro’s side.  Keith pushed himself up a little more, startled to realize that his hand was on Shiro’s thigh.  His very firm, muscular thigh.

“Um, sorry,” Keith faltered as he looked up at Shiro.  His hand was still on Shiro’s thigh.  It was definitely much higher on his thigh than it should be.  He should move his hand.

Shiro nodded, his eyes dark and searching.  Keith hoped he found what he was looking for.  Overwhelmed, Keith’s eyes slid to the side—he startled badly.  “Uh, Shiro, I think we may be, uh.”  There were several animatronic aliens in various lovey-dovey positions.  There were pink hearts and a number of other probably romantic symbols.

Shiro turned his head.  “Oh.  Are we in the tunnel of love?  I didn’t know they’d have this.  I guess the more things change, huh?”

“No kidding,” Keith muttered, shaking his head.  The whole situation, coupled with his advice from the fortune teller—he bit his lip.  “Shiro?”

At the same time, Shiro said, “Hey, Keith?”  They both laughed, a little awkward.  Keith remembered that his hand was still on Shiro’s thigh.  “You first.”

Keith took a breath.  “I love you.”  Shiro’s lips parted, but Keith pressed on before he could interrupt.  “Not—Not like a brother, like I said before.  I’m _in_ love with you.”  Keith’s eyes dropped down to Shiro’s mouth.  Fuck it.

Keith pushed himself up and kissed Shiro, lips firm and dry.  Shiro made a noise, his hand gripping at Keith’s back.  Keith kept it chaste and quick, pulling away to assess the damage.  Shiro’s eyes were closed, his cheeks flushed.

Shiro blinked slowly down at him, and Keith could see the gears turning.

“I know you probably don’t feel the same, b—”  Shiro kissed him, his free hand cupping Keith’s cheek, thumb rubbing along his jaw.  Shiro’s mouth was pliant and warm, and his tongue traced Keith’s lips.  Keith moaned and threw his arms around Shiro’s neck.

“Never doubt,” Shiro said between kisses, “I love you more than anyone in this universe or the next.”  He licked into Keith’s mouth, his prosthetic gripping the back of his neck and holding Keith in place.  “It took me a while to catch up, but I started falling for you when you saved me that first time, and I fell harder every day after that.”

“Shiro,” Keith breathed, pressing his forehead into Shiro’s neck.  “I love you so much.”

Shiro guided Keith’s head back up and kissed him again, sweet and gentle.  “I love you,” he sighed.  Keith melted against him, his head spinning with elation and possibly a lack of oxygen.

A camera flash startled them apart.

They were still on the ride, Keith realized.  And apparently the end involved taking a picture.  Keith’s cheeks felt hot.  Shiro seemed curious more than embarrassed about anything.  When the ride came to a stop to let them out, Keith making sure to keep a firm hold of his Black Lion, two pictures popped out of something that reminded Keith of a ticket dispenser.

Shiro picked them up and laughed.  Without saying anything, he handed one of the pictures to Keith.  In it, Keith was sitting half-astride Shiro’s lap, the Black Lion squished partially between them.  Their arms were wrapped around each other, and they were kissing like they might never get another chance.  All surrounded by the obnoxious love symbols of the alien version of the tunnel of love.

“I’m gonna frame this,” Keith decided.

Shiro laughed harder and wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders.  Keith leaned into him with a pleased smile.  “Yeah?  Hang it in your bunk?”

“No, in the Black Lion, obviously.”  Keith rubbed his cheek against Shiro’s shoulder.  “You’re not going to make me sleep in my bunk all by myself, are you?”

Shiro’s eyes went dark again.  Keith shivered.  Shiro slid his arm off his shoulders to loop around Keith’s waist, his hand firm and possessive against his hip.  “Planning to make up for lost time?”

“Maybe,” Keith acknowledged.  “Or maybe I just want to be able to see you more often.  If we share a room, we’re sure to see each other a couple times a day.”

Shiro’s expression softened.  He pressed a kiss to the side of Keith’s head.  “Of course you can move in with me, Keith.  I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

Keith hummed happily, and for a little while, they were both content to wander the carnival in silence.  The people around them didn’t really know who they were, and they didn’t seem to care either way.  It was nice, not being needed for a change.  Keith missed being anonymous.

“I wanted to apologize,” Shiro said, voice quiet.

Keith frowned up at him.  “What for?”

“I tried to finish up preparations early so that I could spend time with you on our last night on Earth, but people kept coming to me with problem after problem.  I couldn’t get away.”  Shiro’s brow furrowed with remorse.

Keith smiled.  “It’s okay.  You’re the captain.  You’re allowed to be busy.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to watch the sunset with you.  I was going to ride out to find you, but every time I tried to leave, someone else needed something that couldn’t wait.”

“That’s okay,” Keith said again.  “When we go home again, we’ll watch the first sunset together.  We can make it a date.”

“I’d love that.”  Shiro’s eyes dropped to Keith’s lips and darted away.  “If we were somewhere more secluded…”

Keith laughed, squeezing the Black Lion.

“Shiro!  Keith!  Good timing,” Hunk called to them.  They both turned, surprised to find Hunk pointing at a stage.  Coran was standing in front of a microphone again.  “Come check this out, he’s a finalist!”

Keith and Shiro stopped beside Hunk, all staring up at Coran.  He made a frankly ridiculous noise, and then seemed to dance like some kind of fool—but the judges and crowd were apparently impressed?  Keith had _no_ idea what was going on.

The trophy Coran won was not going to fit _anywhere._   Keith applauded with a wide grin anyway.

“Okay, Keith,” Hunk said when Coran joined them, “I have to ask.  What is up with the stuffed animal?”

“Oh, uh, Shiro won it for me.”

“He did, did he?” Coran asked.  “Who confessed first, and when was it?”

Keith blinked.  “What?”

“Whoa!” Pidge exclaimed from behind them.  “When did _this_ happen?  Who won?”

“We were just trying to figure that out,” Hunk explained.

“I don’t understand.”  Keith looked between them all, frowning.  “What are you talking about?”

Shiro coughed.  “I have a feeling, uh.  We may not have been subtle about our feelings for each other.  I think they placed bets on us.”

“Oh, like we did for Allura and Lance?” Keith nodded.  “I guess that’s fair.”

“So?” Pidge asked, her eyes sharp with mischief and delight.

“What were the circumstances?”

Keith looked up at Shiro.  Shiro shrugged.  Keith turned back to their friends.  “I confessed to Shiro on the advice of a fortune teller while we were accidentally riding the tunnel of love.”

They all faltered, their eyes narrowed as one, like they thought he was messing with them.

“It’s true,” Shiro said.  “He even kissed me.”

All three of them groaned.  “Allura nailed it, and she isn’t even here to appreciate it,” Pidge whined.

Hunk pressed his hands to his face.  “How did she get so much right?  Like the love tunnel was a shock, but Allura had Keith confessing first and making the first move on outside advice.  How did she _do_ that?”

Keith blinked.  “She what?”

“Well, damn,” Shiro muttered.  “That is impressive.”

Keith was still reeling a little when he noticed Lance jogging over to them.  “Hey, guys,” Lance called, a Blue Lion plush cradled in his arm.  “Whoa, Keith, talk about overkill.”

Keith shrugged.  “Take it up with Shiro.  He won it for me.”

Lance grinned.  “Oh, that’s like me getting—”  Lance froze, eyes dropping to Shiro’s arm still around Keith’s waist.  His face went slack with shock.  “What?  No, hang on.  How long has this been going on?”

“They’ve been pining after each other about as long as you’ve been pining for Allura,” Hunk supplied.

“Allura won big time today.”  Pidge shook her head.  “I think she might have been cheating somehow.”

“Allura would never cheat,” Lance protested, unthinking.  “Wait, so—lemme get this straight.”

“Already wrong,” Shiro joked, cracking a grin.

Lance waved at him urgently.  “No, seriously, hang on—Keith, our hot-headed leader _Keith_ , has been in love with Shiro this whole time?”

“Yes?” Keith frowned.  “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Yes!”  Lance gestured wildly.  “You don’t do soft feelings like that!”

“Lance,” Keith said slowly, “how much of an idiot are you?”

“Hey!”

The others laughed, and Shiro squeezed his hip with a bright smile.  Keith was glad he stayed with Shiro.  The carnival didn’t really need a patrol after all.  Not on a day of celebration like Clear Day.  It had been a long time since he’d had such a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> I did actually really love the episode as it was, but I was really disappointed that they all split up instead of running around together. The episode had some great stuff between Pidge and her mom, and I thought the Small World reference was hilarious. Still, I wished we could have seen the Paladins having fun together. Especially Keith and Shiro. Hope you guys like it!! I might end up making this a series of fix-its, depending on how I decide to do the next one. ;D
> 
> Hope y'all like Sheith and Allurance/Lotura (and maybe a dash of Lotunk? We'll see how it goes).


End file.
